Watch the 2022 Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice Webinar

This series is intended to help guide you through this application whether you are new to this grant program or grant writing in general. Wherever you need the most support in applying is where you can spend the most time with each of these short videos.

You are welcome to go in order, skip around, rewind and repeat. Each part of this webinar series is geared to help you determine whether or not this is the grant for you before you spend time applying. And further, how to make the most of your time in the grants portal with more insight from the application process that we can offer.

Part 1 - Overview of Eligibility, Funding Criteria + Grant Priorities

Part 1 Transcript

Hi, I'm Kamaria Carrington, Program Officer for Public Art at NEFA. This video is part one of a three-part webinar series designed to introduce you to our Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice Grant Opportunities. So in this video, I'll provide an overview of the Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice Grant Opportunity and will talk through the eligibility and funding criteria. So what is the Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice Grant? Well, CISJ supports Collective Imagination Teams to reimagine public art through a spatial justice lens. We are supporting teams to come together and to ask, "What does justice look, feel, sound, "and smell like in your community's public spaces? "And what role can public art play in this work?" So each Collective Imagination Team will receive a $6K grant to support this imagination work and will be asked to participate in a series of virtual cohort gatherings throughout the grant period. This work of imagination may look vastly different for each team! And that's OK! This grant is about carving out time and space to focus on re-imagining what public art can be in your community in this moment in time. Remember, this isn't a project grant! We aren't asking for deliverables or for activation of public spaces, but rather a commitment to the work of coming together with community to explore different possibilities. At NEFA, we recognize that our public spaces aren't neutral. There are a variety of injustice that are playing out in our public spaces that prevent some of us from simply being and expressing ourselves in public. And although we don't think that public art is going to "fix" these injustices, we do see the power of the arts, in place and space, shifting and transforming the way we relate to space and place, and one another. Perhaps helping us to imagine more just, vibrant and inclusive versions of our public spaces. We hope this grant, and this opportunity to be in proximity with others who are also wrestling with thinking about the role of public art in this moment, may be of interested to you! The content covered in this video as well as more information about the cohort gatherings and grantee requirements can be found at www.nefa.org/ImagineSpatialJustice. OK, so lets talk about who this grant is for. So first, we want to get to know your team! So similar to the journey itself, each Imagination Team will look different from each other and that's OK! And on each team, we do want to see that your team has at least one team member who identifies as an artist or creative, either as the lead applicant or as a collaborator. And teams can be made up of culture bearers, cultural organizers, or community-based collectives or organizations, or individual residents! Think about who is connected to the place and space where you are re-imagining public art making. Who should be a part of re-imagining what public art making can be? Maybe they should be on your team! We want to see that your team is be primarily based in Massachusetts. Because we also want to see that your team is rooted in the community where the team is focusing their imagination journey. At NEFA, we believe context is important to public art making and that public spaces aren't just blank canvas for art making. We hope that being in relationship with place can help us re-imagining how public art making may foster more just futures for our public spaces, rather than reinforcing or perpetuating spatial injustices. So, three is a company! This is a Collective Imagination project! Sorry, not project, but imagination work! We want to be sure that your team has at least three collaborators, that could be one lead and two or more collaborators. And last but not least, we want to know that your team is committed to the work of re-imagining public art in, with, and for your community! So through this Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice opportunity, we hope to create spaciousness to imagine into new possibilities. And to foster a sense of community across Imagination Teams, as you all are thinking about, "What does justice look, feel, sound, "and smell like in your community's public spaces? "And what role can public art play in this work?" So for funding criteria, hat we are looking for is simple. Clarity of intentions. We recognize that public spaces are not neutral and public art made in public spaces is not neutral. We want to know what has brought your team to this moment of exploration and imagination, and why now? What are your intentions for embarking on an imagination journey together? We also are looking for willingness to prioritize and be available to participate in virtual cohort gatherings in 2023. So we are asking our reviewers to prioritize teams that are aligned with our values. So these teams may be led or co-led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color , and more specifically BIPOC artists and creatives. We believe the path to dismantling the legacies of racism and white supremacy culture includes centering BIPOC-led creative exploration and expression in public spaces, and that diverse artistic and cultural expressions in public spaces are essential to more vibrant, just and inclusive public life and public culture. And we also recognize that white allyship is absolutely necessary in this work! As we think about readiness to embark on a Collective Imagination journey with others, we'll be prioritizing teams that are built on trust and accountability. So teams that are aware of the power dynamics within their Collective Imagination Team and broader community, and are actively working towards addressing the imbalances in those power dynamics. We're also looking for teams that are rooted in community and/or demonstrate deep relationship to place. We want to center the voices and the imagination of those who are deeply connected to place and space. And we are also prioritizing teams that are focusing on what feels timely in this moment. So folks focusing on public art making in rural places, we recognize that public art in rural places may look very different from what we see in a our cityscape, and how community engages with them can be different! we want to give artists and community members in rural communities space to tell us how they dream into relevant public art making for their spaces. As well as folks focusing on public art making in places where they are experiencing or have experienced displacement. As a counter to "artwashing" where public art may intentionally or accidentally cause negative ripple effects on economic development at the cost of lower income residents being displaced due to increasing property values. What does public art making that's maybe the opposite of artwashing look like? that anchors communities in a place and space, that prevents displacement while also creating a more beautiful, welcoming, vibrant public life that is doing both anchoring communities and welcoming new residents and businesses. We want to offer space to center folks who are most affected by this dynamic and to help imagine into new possibilities for public art making. So wrestling with the intersectionality of spatial justice and racial justice in their communities and public spaces. And last, but not least, the intersection of racial and spatial justice has been made even more evident over the past few years. What is the role of public art making in movements towards racial healing and justice in our communities? So as we continue to ask, "What does justice look, feel, sound, "and smell like in our community's public spaces?" "And what role can public art play in this work?" We hope you'll join us on this imagination journey! If you have any questions, there is more information on the grants page. You can also access office hours and start an application here at www.nefa.org/ImagineSpatialJustice. To learn more about the CISJ application and tech tips for navigating NEFA's grants portal, or if you'd like to take a deeper dive into the narrative questions, please check out the other two CISJ webinar videos in this series! and of course, feel free to reach out to the public art team here at NEFA at publicart@nefa.org. Thank you for watching! And Happy imagining!

Part 2 - Navigating the Online Application + Tech Tips

Part 2 Transcript

Hi! I'm Kamaria Carrington, Program Officer of Public Art at NEFA. So welcome to part two of a three-part webinar series designed to introduce you to our Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice Grant Opportunity. This video will provide an overview of the CISJ application, along with tech tips for navigating NEFA's online grants portal. So let's dive in! Okay, so step one, go to the CISJ grant page at www.nefa.org/ImagineSpatialJustice to start a new CISJ application. In the gray box on the right here, you can see an "Apply Now" button to start a new application, or you can click the "Resume My Application" button to log back into our grants portal and continue an application you've already started. Also in the gray box is a link, oh, sorry. Also in the gray box, don't want you all to miss this, is a link to preview the narrative questions in the application, and to sign up for office hours if you want to talk through your application. So here's where you will navigate to with either the "Apply Now" or the "Resume My Application" button. So note, if you are new to NEFA's grants portal, you'll need to set up a user account by clicking "New User," it's circled in orange here, before logging in. Once you have an account and you have a login, if you are starting a new application or resuming an application, you will need to log in here. If you clicked "Resume My Application" when you logged in, you'll be brought to your dashboard. And so your dashboard is basically a table of contents that has all the NEFA applications you've ever started with this account. So then you can select the edit/pen icon next to your PASJ application from the dashboard to get back to your application. But if you clicked "Apply Now" to start a new application, it will skip the dashboard and bring you directly into a new application, which I'll show you on the next slide. Once you open a CISJ grant application, you should see this. There are five tabs to work through. We won't go through all five tabs in this video, just the tabs where we can offer more tips and clarity that have snagged past applicants: So the first two tabs are designed to collect basic information about your team, such as lead contact info, demographic information, et cetera. For CISJ, one of our funding priorities is to fund teams that are led or co-led by Black, Indigenous, or People of Color, or BIPOC, and more specifically BIPOC artists and creatives. We believe the path to dismantling the legacies of racism and white supremacy culture includes centering BIPOC-led creative exploration and expression in public spaces. So we ask that teams let us know how they self-identify to help our reviewers better assess this priority. On the "Lead Creative Collaborators" tab, this is where you can list your core team members, and also share how they also self-identify. And not all CISJ teams that are funded will be BIPOC-led. This work requires white allies too. The narrative questions can be found in the "Opportunities" tab here, the third tab. So this tip is really important to remember. This online portal does not auto-save. We highly recommend that you create a separate Word doc or Google doc before diving into the narrative questions here in the portal. Many applicants have lost their work along the way and had to start over because they relied on their wifi or power or this portal even to save their narrative responses, and experienced a glitch and then they lost all of their work. So please, please, please, do your future self a favor and create a separate Word doc. The grants portal can then be the last place that you copy and paste your narrative responses without fear of losing your work. Also at the bottom of the "Opportunities" tab is a space for supplemental materials. I'm sorry, I advanced too quickly. So just to let you know one more thing about this tab is, yeah, there's space for supplemental material, and if there's anything that may speak to your team's intentions or readiness for this journey. This isn't required, but it's available if there's something that you think would help our reviewers understand your team and/or the intentions of your imagination journey. The last section I'd like to point out in the grants portal is the "Budget" tab. Each team will receive $6,000 in grant funds, and we want to know how your team will use those funds. We're assuming that you will primarily compensate yourselves through the lead applicant and collaborator stipends, and if there are any other expenses, such as books, a Zoom membership, maybe child care so that you can meet in person, et cetera, please include that in "Other Expenses." Just be sure that it all adds up to $6,000 and tell us how these funds will support your imagination journey in the "Budget" narrative section. We're trying to keep this application as simple as possible, and if you have any other questions, you're welcome to reach out to us. You can email the public art team at publicart@nefa.org. You can check in on the webpage for more general information or sign up for office hours. If you want to take a deeper dive into the criteria and priorities or the application narrative questions, please check out the other two CISJ videos in this webinar series. Again, thank you for watching, and happy imagining!

Part 3 - Insight on Narrative Questions: What are we looking for?

Part 3 Transcript

Hi, I'm Kamaria Carrington, Program Officer for Public Art at NEFA. Welcome to part three of a three-part webinar series designed to introduce you to our Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice Grant Opportunity. This video will take a deeper dive into the narrative questions in the collective imagination for spatial justice application. The Narrative Questions are the main part of the application where you can help our panel reviewers get to know your team. We will walk you through each question and share a little bit more of the context and purpose behind these questions. We hope this helps your writing process and we welcome you to think of this as a companion for your application. So let's dive in with question one. Introduce your Collection Imagination Team. Who are the lead collaborators? And why have you chosen to work together? What has brought your team to this moment of exploration and imagination, and why now? What are your intentions for embarking on an imagination journey together? So reviewers are looking to get to know you and your team, and to better understand what's bringing you to this imagination journey. Reviewers are looking for clarity of intentions. We recognize that public art spaces are not neutral. There's a lot happening in our public spaces today. We welcome intersectional approaches to thinking about public artmaking and we want to know why your team is interested in exploring reimagining new possibilities for public art making in your community. We want to know what has brought your team to this moment of exploration and imagination, and why now? What are your intentions for embarking on an imagination journey together? What is your team wrestling with as you think about public art making and the public spaces in your community? So the next question, question two. How does your team intend to hold space for this imagination work? Please share an example of how your team is building trust and accountability among collaborating team members and within the community. Will you meet in person, on Zoom? Are there creative tools that might help facilitate this space? Are there books or resources, and inspirations that will anchor your imagination work together? And you might not know what this all looks like yet, but we'd love to get a sense of how your planning to hold this space together. And CISJ is prioritizing teams that are built on trust and accountability. As you think about how you'll meet together and share inspiration and imagination with one another, we want to encourage teams to be aware of the power dynamics within their own Collective Imagination Team as well as the broader community, and to actively work towards addressing any power imbalances. So some things to consider are like, who is on your team? How do you relate to one another in spaces, i.e. for example, are there youth voices in your CISJ team, how will you ensure that their voices are valued alongside the adult voices? How might you navigate or hold yourselves accountable to the power dynamics that may already exist? On to the next question. Question number three, tell us about the community and the place where your team would like to see, feel, and experience more creative, impactful, and accountable public artmaking. What does the current public art look, feel, and sound like? And how is public art shaping the public culture of that place, or not? What is your team's relationship to this place or community? At NEFA we believe that context is important for public artmaking. So we'd like to know your understanding of the context of place and space. What does the current public artmaking look like in your community? How does it impact public culture? Is it positive? Is it negative? What's missing in the public artmaking and why? What's your relationship to this place and space? We are asking our reviewers to prioritizing teams that are rooted in community and demonstrate a relationship to place, and more particularly we've asked our reviewers to keep an eye out for teams that are... I'm sorry. We're still on the slide. Sorry. For teams that are in relationship with rural places, recognizing that a lot of public artmaking has been focused on urban places and urban aesthetics. As well as team that are in relationship with places where folks are experiencing or have experienced displacement, this may be urban, rural, or somewhere in between. So our next question is about participating in the virtual cohort gatherings. So, we are inviting Collective Imagination Teams to move through a six-month imagination journey together with us, over the six-month grant period starting in January. Please share how your team will prioritize availability to participate in monthly virtual cohort gatherings, at least two team members must be available to participate in each of the virtual cohort gatherings, team members may vary for each gathering. So it doesn't have to be the same two people throughout the whole six months. So please share any accessibility needs that may help you to be fully present in a virtual gathering space. What do you hope to gain from this shared learning space? So we recognize Zoom fatigue is real. And we want to be sure that you are interested in dedicating some time to this shared learning space. We hope to make these spaces dynamic and engaging, and these spaces will also rely on the energy, the magic, the imagination that each team brings into the Zoom room. We've had the privilege of witnessing the deep reflections that come from these imagination journeys from grantee reports, and wanted to create a wider space to share some of that magic with one another in real time. We hope you'll lean into this experiment with us. So thank you in advance. Okay, and last but not least, question five, okay, we want to provide a little more space if there's more you'd like to share with us so we can fairly assess your application. So question five is optional. And priority will be given to teams that are led or co-led by Black, Indigenous, People of Color that are built on trust and accountability, rooted in community and/or wrestling with the intersectionality spatial justice and racial justice. Please review the CISJ grant page for a full understanding of our funding priorities. We acknowledge that the people reviewing your application are likely to have gaps in understanding or knowledge about the context for your work. So please share any other information you think would be important to fairly assess your application. In addition to your written response to this question, you may also choose to submit a short video, so it can be up to three minutes in total, responding this question. If you shared everything you needed to share in the other questions, so question one through four, truly do not feel obligated to answer question number five. But if you need more space to help reviewers see your teams alignment with the program, this is the space to share it. And you can submit your response as a video if that is a better format for what you want to share with us. Okay, so here is the last tip. There are character limits for all the narrative responses as you've seen in parenthesis. These are character limits with spaces. So please do not feel that you need to fill all the space. If there is a need it to help reviewers to fairly assess your application we've tried to give as much space as possible, for these to also not be overly burdensome for both applicants and then the reviewers. We also believe that you can do more with less. So don't feel like you have to fill up all the space to reach the character limit. Our reviewers will thank you for your clarity and brevity in advance. Okay, also optional, so there's space to upload any Supplemental Materials that may help reviewers understand your relationship to community, and your teams approach to this imagination journey. Again, optional, you're welcome to upload any material you think would help us better understand the imagination journey you're hoping to set out on. So that's it. We hope that the application itself feels pretty simple, and serves as more of a self-reflective tool as you embark on your imagination journey. Remember, please reach out. You can email the public art team at publicart@nefa.org if you have any additional questions. You can also check out the webpage for more general information and to sign up for office hours if you want to meet with out program's team to talk about your proposal. So to learn more about the criteria and priorities or the rest of the application, you're welcome to check out the other two CISJ videos in this webinar series. Again, thank you for watching. And happy imagining.

Apply for Spatial Justice Grants by October 17, 2022

• Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice
  Strengthens collaborations to support the work to collectively imagine creative, impactful, accountable public art.
• Public Art for Spatial Justice
  Supports public art that creatively expresses and embodies a more just version of what’s possible in public.

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